I've been reading the job offer board, and some of these offers sound too good to be true. They sound like advertisements. One recruiter sent me a sample apartment pic, no bed, no couch, very small. Small table, fridge, washer and shower in the same room. It looked very old. I could almost see a roach waving at the camera.

I'm trying to figure out what's too good to be true, or what seems like a total scam. I read one story about a guy who's apartment was over a karaoke bar.

Has anyone heard of CIS - Canadian International School. They claim to be assoiciated with the North Vancouver School Board. Just curious if anyone heard of them.

Otherwise, you can be told about anything. Especially by a recruiter. I came to Korea on my own dime to find a job. In my opinion, anyone who signs up for a job in Korea without seeing the place first is just nuts. And for those who say, "I can't afford it....", then maybe teaching in Korea is not a financially viable option for you.

Like I said before,Koreans don't know the first thing about comfort. They think you should be happy just to have a roof over your head. What Koreans call furnished,westerners call unfurnished. I say some dumb Koreans need to get a life where housing is concerned. If they came to the US or Canada,would they want to live in such squalid housing? I don't think so. Many people think offictels are so nice just because they look fancy downstairs and have bakeries and restaurants downstairs. Who cares? I want a bathtub,a real shower,etc. Even Mexicans in the US live better than we do in Korea. I know of some who live in double-wide trailers with jacuzzis and bathtubs. Trailers might be a worldwide joke,but they sure beat Korean housing.

In an ideal world you would come here and find a job/housing after you arrive. But, you may many reasons for not doing that. Here are a few pointers that might help you out:

1. Talk to as many existing/former teachers as you can. In fact, I have always found that former teachers are much more honest than teachers still in the "fold".

2. When you talk to them have a list of very specific questions. I would divide it into school questions and accom. questions.

School Questions.........1. What resources will you have? Book/computer/internet/photocopier? 2. How many students/age? 3. Who cleans the school? 4. Does the school pay on time? 5. Do you work with a Korean teacher? 6. Split shifts/overtime?

Accomodation Questions.........1. Size of the apartment? 2. Share or private? 3. Who pays the utilities?.....(if it is the teacher get an idea of the monthly charges)? 4. Does the director respect your privacy? 5. How far from the school? 2. Heat/hot water.......available 24 hours a day (believe me I have had heat and hot water problems in every place I have lived in Korea.)

You should also find out if the Director speaks English. I would think long and hard about working for a school where the Director does not.

This is probably just the beginning of the questions you want to ask. Write down all your questions, be organized. Ask different teachers different questions. (It's unlikely that anyone will want to answer 40+ questions.....so divide them over several teachers).

I don't know what your qualifications are, or why you want to teach, but before applying to any school you may want to give some seriouc thought to the age level you want to teach. If you don't like kids then kindy probably isn't for you.

I would recommend living in one of the bigger cities......Seoul, Daegu, Busan. I have lived in the boonies of Korea, and belive me it is the boonies.

God forbid those lazy Mexicans should be better off than you. How dare they buy themselves jacuzzis! And bathtubs?? What nerve of them!! Have you written your Congressman about this?

[sarcasm off]

I'd hardly call the Mexicans that have joined my community in the past 10 years "lazy". Almost all of them came in as meatpacking workers. They set up their own businesses and have thrived, bought buildings downtown, are on the city board, and have made huge progress where other ethnic groups have been wallowing in self-pity for three times as long.

The difference in all of this is work ethic and the strong family unit the Mexicans bring with them.

For the first five years, the local population, which was about 90% white, had a lot of worries/reservations about the Mexicans coming in. Ten years later, things are moving along quite smoothly. Lots of kids have grown up together, and the worries/reservations are gone. My parents, who weren't the best at understanding the Mexicans at first, told me that during Halloween the Mexican families that came were more fun. The kids dressed up, went around with the parents, and were having a great time. The white kids just showed up at the door and demanded candy. Little family involvement.

Otherwise, you can be told about anything. Especially by a recruiter. I came to Korea on my own dime to find a job. In my opinion, anyone who signs up for a job in Korea without seeing the place first is just nuts. And for those who say, "I can't afford it....", then maybe teaching in Korea is not a financially viable option for you.

It's up to you if you want to take that chance.

Teaching in Korea is not financially viable? I came without a dime. Well, I came with 400 bucks canadian so thats almost correct. I signed up without seeing the place. I got lucky I suppose. However, teaching in Korea has been very fiancially viable for me. Im not through my 2nd contract yet and have 15 grand saved up already.

Teaching in Korea is not financially viable? I came without a dime. Well, I came with 400 bucks canadian so thats almost correct. I signed up without seeing the place. I got lucky I suppose. However, teaching in Korea has been very fiancially viable for me. Im not through my 2nd contract yet and have 15 grand saved up already.

You misunderstood my point. What you did was risky, but worked out for you. I am talking to those people who say, "I don't have the money to come to Korea and look first."

You technically didn't have it to do it safetly, but you did it anyway. Good for you, it worked out. Others might not be so lucky.

My point is that it's best to see what you're getting into before you sign and begin work. You did that.

Life's a gamble, so be adventurous......
The worst you could end up with is a crappy job, in a hellhole school, living in a cardboard box on the subway stairs, and not get paid.
No matter what the ad says, no matter what recruiters say, no matter what ex-teachers at your prospective school may say....remember we all see things differently. The value of any information can only be truely assessed by your observation. Sure it's hard to ignore the "never paid" and "no power/water" horror stories, because some are in fact true.
Truth of the matter is, you'll never know for sure until you give it a whirl.
Don't expect the world and maybe all will be well for you. Too many "teachers" expect the very same living and working conditions in a foreign country as they used to, and demand big money as well.
Personally I prefer to work for less money, less hours, and in a comfortable room rather than go for the big bucks, high hours and constant bickering of some schools.
Any job offering over 2.0 mil (hogwan) and they expect the world from you, keep you overworked, and tend to be very inflexible. Their way or no way. Besides, with the lower wages, it's less tax, less pension, less medical, and at least you have a better chance of actually getting your money in tough times.
Should things really be totally crud, you can always quit, get a release letter, and go home or elsewhere. Why let fear and commonsense stop you?

Cheers to you, Crazy Oz, for that post! It's really easy to get freaked out by all the blacklists, etc. but you've knocked the not-so-common sense back into me! It's aaallllll about the adventure....which is exactly what I am NOT having here at home. Thanks for the pep talk.